beckwith



(No Model.)

1).. 0. BEGKWITH. GAR FENDER.

No. 573,638. Patented Dec. 22, 1896.

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID O. BEOKWITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM S. WVALKER, JR., OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,638, dated December 22, 1896.

Application filed April 16, 1896. Serial No. 587,749. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- pins 14, which operate in the slots 7. \Vhen Be it known that LDAVID O. BECKWITH, of the bars 13 are correctly positioned, their the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have rear ends engage directly against the coilinvented certain new and useful Improvesprings 8. 55 ments in Car-Fenders, of which the following Formed integral with and depending from is a full, clear, and exact description, referthe side bars 9 are short arms 15, to the lower encebeinghadto the accompanyingdrawings, ends of which are journaled in any suitable forming a part hereof. manner small traction-wheels 16, that are in- My invention relates to an improved cartended to ride directly upon the track-rails. 60 1o fender; and it consists in the novel construc- To the extreme forward ends of the side bars tion, combination, and arrangement of parts Dare formedintegral inwardly-projectinglugs hereinafter described and claimed. or stops 17.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view Formed on or fixed to the outside faces of of my improved car-fender. Fig. 2 is a lonthe forward ends of the bars 9 are the pairs 65 J 5 gitudinal sectional view taken approximately of horizontally-alined perforated ears 18, on the indicated line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is throughwhich move the rearwardly-bent ends a horizontal sectional View taken approxil9of abar20, that extendstransverselyacross mately 011 the indicated line 3 3 of Fig. 2. the front of the entire fender. Said bar Referringbynumerals to the accompanying is covered with abody of rubber or analogous 7o 20 drawings, 1 indicates the car-platform, and 2 material, (indicated by the numeral 21.) the transom-timbers of the car, to the inside Passing through the rearwardly-bent ends 19 faces of which transom-timbers are bolted at points between the perforated ears 18 are forked brackets 3, the upper arms 4 of which pins 22, there being expansive coil-springs 23 extend in a horizontal line forward a slight located upon the ends 19 between these pins 75 distance from the dashboard of the car, the 22 and the rear ears of each pair.

forward ends of said arms 4 being bifurcated The rocking frame of my improved fender and provided with the hooks 5. The lower comprises the segmentally-bent side bars 24, arms 6 of said brackets extend downwardly the same being framed together at their ends from the transom-timbers, the lower ends of by the transversely-arranged rods 25. The 80 0 said arms 6 occupying positions immediately side bars 24 are pivotally swung upon the beneath the forward ends of the arms 4, and transversely-arranged rod 11, and extending said forward ends arebifurcated and provided transversely between said side bars 24 at with the slots 7. Located and held within points intermediate their ends are transverse the bifurcated ends of the arms 6 are expanbars 26, to the top one of which is hinged a 85 3 5 sive coil-springs S, the function of which will rectangular frame 27, the forward end of be presently shown. which lies adjacent the lower one of said bars The frame of my improved fender comprises 26, said frame 27 being covered with suitable a pair of compound-curved side bars 9, framed wire-netting 28. together by the transversely-arranged bars 10 Lugs 29 are formed integral with the inner 9o and 11, the bar 10 being arranged near the faces of the side bars 24 adjacent the ends of rear ends of the bars 9 and the bar 11 near the lower one of the bars 26, the forward end the forward end. The rear upper ends of the of the hinged frame 27 normally resting upon side barsl) occupy the bifurcated forward ends said lugs 29. Extending from the top one of of the arms 4, and said rear ends are provided the transverse bars 26 to the top rod 25 is a 9 5 with transversely-arranged pins 12, that ensection of wire-netting 30, and there is also a gage in the hooks 5. Pivoted to the outside section of wire-netting 31 extending from the faces of the side bars 9 at points intermediate lower one of the transverse bars 26 to the rod their ends are the forward ends of bars 13, 25, that extends transversely between the forthe rear ends of which occupy the bifurcated ward ends of the bars 24. Lyingimmediately too forward ends of the arms 6, and said rear above the forward rod 25 is a transverselyends are provided with transversely-arranged extending bar 32. Leaf-sprin gs 33 have their forward ends looped around the transverse rod 11 said leaf-sprin gs extending'from thence upwardly and rearwardlyandtheir rear ends being engaged over the transversely-arranged rod 10. The forward end of the lower one of the transverse bars 26 normally rests upon, these leaf-springs 33, and by so doing retains the rear end of the rocking frame of the fender in an elevated position.

In the practical use of myimproved fender, after the various parts are assembled as shown in the drawings and herein described, the same is located upon the front of the car by engaging the pins 12 in the hooks 5 and the pins let in the slots 7. By forming said slots 7 the forward end of the fender is allowedto swing upwardly and downwardly to conform with any irregularity in the track, and when said forward end swings upwardly and downwardly the rear ends of the bars 13 move a slight distance horizontally in the bifurcated lower ends of the arms 6. The coil-springs 8 always tend to throw the bars 13 forwardly,

which necessarily raises the forward end of the entire fender.

The force of the blow of the fender on coming in contact with an obstruction on the track will be broken by positioning the horizontally-moving bar 20 in front of the fender, said bar moving rearwardly and overcoming the slight resistance ofiered by the coil-sprin 23 whenever said bar comes in contact with an obstructing body. The body on being struck by the fender will necessarily fall onto the rocking frame covered with the various sections of wire-net, and as said body falls and is caught the rear end of said rocking frame will swing downwardly, as indicated by the dotted lines A, Fig. 2, during which downward movement resistance offered by the leafsprings 33 will be overcome, and said frame will be swung downwardly into such position as that it may readily hold and retain the body until the car is stopped. It will thus be seen that through the medium of the springs 23 and 33 the force of the blow of the fender 011 comingin contact with an obstructing body and the fall of said body on said fender is greatly broken, and no serious results will ensue by the picking up of a body by a fender so constructed. By raising the hinged frame 27 to a position as shown by dotted lines in' Fig. 2 two cars may be coupled together even while the fender is attached to one of said cars.

Such a fender is simple, strong, and durable, may be readily changed from one end of the ear to the other, is entirely automatic in operation, and not being dependent upon the attention of the driver is always ready for operation, will not easily get out of order, and is Very efficient in use.

7 I claim 1. In combination with a car, the forked brackets 3, the side bars 9 connected to the upper forks of said brackets, the bars 10 and 11 framing said side bars together, the bars 13 pivoted to said side bars and connected to the lower forks of said brackets, the coilsprings 8 at the rear ends of said bars 13, traction-wheels under the forward ends of said side bars, the ears 18 upon the forward ends of said side bars, the bar 20 having the rearwardly-bent ends 19 operating in said ears, the coil-springs 23 upon said ends 19 and between said ears, the side bars 24 pivotally swung upon the rod 11, the rods 25 connecting said side bars, the leaf-springs 33 attached to said rod 11, substantially as specified.

2. In a car-fender, the side bars 9, suitable means of supporting said side bars, the bars 10 and 11 framing said side bars together, the side bars 24: pivotallyswung upon the bar 11, the rods 25 connecting said side bars 24, the leaf-springs 33 attached to said bar 11 and underneath said rods 25, the free ends of said leaf-springs resting upon the bar 10, the transverse bars 26 connecting said side bars 24: at points intermediate their ends, the rectangular frame 27 hinged to the upper one of said transverse bars 26 and wire-netting upon the frames thus formed, substantially as specified.

' In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID O. BECKWITI-I. lVitnesses:

M. P. SMITH, S. G. WELLS. 

